
Headrush Vocal FX
Vocal Distortion
Inspired by HeadRush® Original
Effect of vocal saturation/distortion with:
- gain stage (drive)
- pre and post filters
- wet/dry control
It is used for:
- light grit (pop/rock)
- radio voice / lo-fi
- extreme effects (industrial, trap)
Control Parameters
Drives%
- Range: 0 – 100%
- Function: amount of distortion (gain)
Behavior:
- 0–20% → light saturation (warm)
- 30–60% → vocal crunch/grit
- 70–100% → heavy distortion / fuzz
Technically:
increases harmonic clipping
more drive = more compression + harmonics
Mix%
- Range: 0 – 100%
- Function: blend between clean and distorted signal
- 0%: dry only
- 50%: parallel distortion
- 100%: full wet
essential for maintaining vocal intelligibility
VolumedB
- Typical range: ~−12 → +12 dB
- Function: output gain of the block
It is used for:
- compensate for increased volume due to distortion
- balance in the chain
Pre HPFHz
- Typical range: ~20 – 1000 Hz
- Cuts low frequencies before drive
Effect:
- louder → less “mud”, cleaner distortion
- bass → fuller/dirtier sound
essential to avoid confusing distortion (HPF removes unnecessary bass) (Develop Device)
Pre LPFHz
- Typical range: ~1kHz – 20kHz
Cuts high frequencies before drive
Effect:
- lower → dark/vintage distortion
- high → more presence and aggressiveness
Pre Type6 / 12 / 24 dB
Filter slope type
- 6 dB: soft (natural)
- 12 dB: medium
- 24 dB: aggressive / surgical
more dB = sharper cut
Post HPFHz
Removes bass generated by distortion.
Useful for:
- clean the mix
- avoid live rumble
Post LPFHz
Cuts harsh high frequencies
Effect:
- 6–10 kHz → warmer sound
- 12 kHz → more brilliance
Fundamental to avoid:
- harshness
- digital “fizz”.
Post Type6 / 12 / 24 dB
- same logic as the Pre Type
- controls how drastic the final filter is
Pro Tips
THE PRE filters influence the character of the distortion.
THE POST filters they clean the final result.
Too much drive without HPF → “muddy” sound.
Too low LPF → unintelligible voice.
Quick Reference
- Drives (%): amount of distortion
- Mix (%): dry/wet blend
- Volume (dB): output level
- Pre HPF: low cut first
- Pre LPF: high cut first
- Pre Type: pre-filter slope
- Post HPF: low cleaning after
- Post LPF: I'll check the others later
- Post Type: rear filter slope
Setup Examples
Warm saturation (pop/rock)
Drive20–35%
Mix40–60%
Pre HPF80–120 Hz
Post LPF10–12 kHz
Light analog warmth
Radio / Lo-Fi
Drive40–60%
Mix70–100%
Pre HPF200–400 Hz
Pre LPF3–6 kHz
Post LPF4–8 kHz
Telephone effect / mid-focused
Aggressive distortion (trap / industrial)
Drive70–100%
Mix80–100%
Pre HPF120–200 Hz
Post LPF6–9 kHz
Post Type24 dB
Controlled but heavy sound

